2018 Artist on the Rise: Snocker Cot (Interview)

2018 is already looking bright with young producers like Snocker Cot coming in hot.

The feeling when you discover an artist you really connect and vibe with is pretty awsome. It makes it even better when they have yet to really blow-up. I was lucky enough to have this exact feeling last week after coming across Snocker Cot on SoundCloud. This kid is a young 19 and making some of the more polished tracks I’ve heard recently. I’d even say they’re a similar caliber to some of the tracks Louis the Child was dropping back in the day, like their “Compass” remix. A friend of mine shot me over the link to Snocker Cot’s “Tonic Water” remix, which instantly got me very interested. The soft guitar notes, percussion, and vocals all mix together in perfect harmony for this remix of Moglii’s original. Later that week, I was fortunate enough to interview the young musician, who said “I try not to be redundant. Every element in a track should have it’s own unique place. Crowding together too many similar elements is a recipe for messiness” – something that shines through his work. I continued to let his profile play from there, and that’s when I heard my favorite Snocker Cot track, “Bloom.”

This light, future track really is what took me back to early Louis the Child and made me that much more surprised I’d never heard of this kid. I kept listening and kept reposting. His remix of “Mark My Words” by Mothica and original track “Number One” feat. Caroline Lowery being another two of my favorites. Absolutely give this guy’s Soundcloud a listen and check out my interview with the budding star below.

1. How did you get into music? With what instruments initially and then how have you progressed?

I’ve been playing guitar and piano since I was a little kid. Like a lot of kids, my parents made me take lessons and all that. When I was little I would start little rock bands with my friends from school. We were always awful but it was so much fun. I got into electronic music when I heard the song “To Forgive But Not Forget” by Outside at a modern dance show that my mom dragged me to when I was about eleven or twelve. I was blown away. I had no idea how you made sounds like that. So I had to find out.

2. How has your musical output in terms of what you make and your music taste evolved over the course of your life?

I feel like a lot of producers my age started out making dubstep when they first began producing. I was no different, trying to be like Skrillex, Noisia, Feed Me, Deadmau5 and all that. Those guys are still some of my biggest inspirations for sure, but now they inspire me in a different way than before.

3. What do you think is one of the more important trends/genres breaking out in the music scene right now?

I’d say that a lot of the dopest and most interesting music right now tends to be really dynamic. If you look at guys like Mura Masa, Jamie xx, Flybear…those guys put out tracks that have so much depth and clairty to them, it’s insane.

4. Who are your main influences?

My influences change, no joke, like every day. But there are a few artists I always go back to when I’m in a rut. I’d say Skrillex, the Beatles, Kanye, and Mura Masa are artists that provide a base for my sound for sure.

5. How do you keep your tracks so smooth with so many different elements?

I try not to be redundant. Every element in a track should have it’s own unique place. Crowding together too many similar elements is a recipe for messiness.

6. What keeps you going back to making music every day and where do you get inspiration for tracks?

What keeps me going back is that sense of excitement you get when you try something new. I love tinkering and creating things that are sometimes challenging to make. When you complete a song it kind of feels like finishing a really big jigsaw puzzle.

7. Goals for 2018? Did you cross any goals off this year?

I don’t try to set too many goals for myself because I try not to take things too seriously, but I do have a lot of exciting new projects that are coming out next year!!

8. Favorite artist and set you’ve ever seen?

Disclosure, hands down. They were the first big electronic show that I went to and everything about it blew my mind. The set, the lights and graphics, the live instruments. Those guys absolutely shred live and it was amazing. The whole venue felt it.

9. Favorite color?

Yellow!

10. Who are you outside the studio? What do you like to do in your free time?

I like hitting the beach on the weekends and going on hikes, stuff like that. I’ve been trying to get into reading more, but the perfect book is hard to come by.